Panic

This week's book:




Panic
Sharon M. Draper
262 pages

Overview:Direct from Barnes and noble.com(http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/panic-sharon-m-draper/1111396328?ean=9781442408968)

This gripping, chillingly realistic novel from New York Times bestselling author Sharon Draper, “by turns pulse-pounding and inspiring” (Kirkus Reviews), shows that all it takes is one bad decision for a dream to become a nightmare.

Diamond knows not to get into a car with a stranger.

But what if the stranger is well-dressed and handsome? On his way to meet his wife and daughter? And casting a movie that very night—a movie in need of a star dancer? What then?

Then Diamond might make the wrong decision.

It’s a nightmare come true: Diamond Landers has been kidnapped. She was at the mall with a friend, alone for only a few brief minutes—and now she’s being held captive, forced to endure horrors beyond what she ever could have dreamed, while her family and friends experience their own torments and wait desperately for any bit of news.

From New York Times bestselling author Sharon Draper, this is a riveting exploration of power: how quickly we can lose it—and how we can take it back.

 My Opinion:

This is a powerful book. You cannot just not feel moved with the message behind the book. Sharon Draper is a fabulous author who always hits on real-life issues. I've waited to read Panci for a long time now, but when I did I almost cried. She wrote about this in such a beautiful way that I was overwhelmned with emotions. Please read and maybe even pass it along. Because you never know what people are going through until you expirence it yourself or maybe even read a book about it steping into that person's shoes.

P.s. On a happier note, my school's reading bowl gined 2nd place and are goung on to regionals. Best thing ever!!! I've never made it that far before. ;)

Curveball: The year I lost my grip

THIS WEEK'S BOOK:

Curveball: The year I lost my grip

Jordan Sonnenblick

285 pages

Overview (Direct from Amazon.com:"Amazon Prime Free Trial." Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip: Jordan Sonnenblick: 9780545320696: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2014. <http://www.amazon.com/Curveball-Year-Lost-My-Grip/dp/0545320690>.)

Sometimes, the greatest comebacks take place far away from the ball field.

Meet Peter Friedman, high school freshman. Talented photographer. Former baseball star. When a freakish injury ends his pitching career, Peter has some major things to figure out. Is there life after sports? Why has his grandfather suddenly given him thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment? And is it his imagination, or is the super-hot star of the girls' swim team flirting with him, right in front of the amazing new girl in his photography class? In his new novel, teen author Jordan Sonnenblick performs his usual miraculous feat: exploring deep themes of friendship, romance, family, and tragedy, while still managing to be hilariously funny.

My Summary:

This was another fabulous book. Peter Friedman just had a huge life-changing event, but it wasn't over yet. His freshman year is going to be a year full of surprises good and bad. This story is so true to real life that it hurts. I never felt that it was fictional. I cried, I laughed, and I cheered when the boy gets the girl. The ending will make you sad, but it is still true to life. More writers need to follow Jordan Sonnenblick's example for extraordinary lifelike characters.

P.S. I am now currently reading the book Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. This is a 1,432 page book, so I hope I finish it soon. Not by the end of this year. Wish me luck.

Goodbye, Rebel Blue

LAST WEEK'S BOOK:

Goodbye, Rebel Blue

Shelley Corriel

299 pages

Overview (Direct from Shelley Corriel's website:
Corriel, Shelley. "Goodbye, Rebel Blue." SHELLEY CORIELL. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2014.<http://www.shelleycoriell.com/books/young-adult-books/goodbye-rebel-blue/>.)

Rebecca Blue is a rebel with an attitude whose life is changed by a chance encounter with a soon-to-be dead girl. Rebel (as she’s known) decides to complete the dead girl’s bucket list to prove that choice, not chance, controls her fate. In doing so, she unexpectedly opens her mind and heart to a world she once dismissed—a world of friendships, family, and faith. With a shaken sense of self, she must reevaluate her loner philosophy—particularly when she falls for Nate, the golden boy do-gooder who never looks out for himself. Perfect for fans of Jay Asher’s blockbuster hit Thirteen Reasons Why, Coriell’s second novel features her sharp, engaging voice along with realistic drama and unforgettable characters.

My Summary:

This book was fabulous. Rebel wasnt the most liked or understood character in the book, but once she started following the list, things just came into place. The list that would have helped the dead girl's family instead came to help her's. Rebel grew. She wrestled with the idea of fate,gods, and destiny, but then she relazied that it didnt matter. So she could live her life how she wanted. I loved this book. It made me cry. You should read it too.

Other fabulous books:

• Liam and  Ellie by Autumn E {sadly only available on Nook}

Game

This Week's Book:



Barry Lyga
517 pages
I Hunt Killers

Overview: (Direct from Barry Lyga website: http://barrylyga.com/novels/game/)"Game." Barry Lyga Dot Com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2013. <http://barrylyga.com/novels/game/>.

Billy grinned. “Oh, New York,” he whispered. “We’re gonna have so much fun.”

I Hunt Killers introduced the world to Jazz, the son of history’s most infamous serial killer, Billy Dent.

In an effort to prove murder didn’t run in the family, Jazz teamed with the police in the small town of Lobo’s Nod to solve a deadly case. And now, when a determined New York City detective comes knocking on Jazz’s door asking for help, he can’t say no. The Hat-Dog Killer has the Big Apple–and its police force–running scared. So Jazz and his girlfriend, Connie, hop on a plane to the big city and get swept up in a killer’s murderous game.

Both the stakes and the body count are higher in this suspenseful and unstoppable sequel from acclaimed author Barry Lyga.

My Opinion:

This book was very interesting.  It started a little bit after "I Hunt Killers" left off. Billy had escaped and it looks  like he went to New York. New York is my city so it's very cool that the story takes place there. I also liked how Connie had more of a part in the story. She  solved her own mysteries and went past just being the girlfriend of Jazz. That's some girl power! This sequel definitely held up to its predecessor.  I can't wait for the next book in the trilogy.  Spoiler: it ends in a cliff hanger. :) 

PS. Don't read this book if you are a little squeamish of blood and gore since this is a book about serial killers. 

PPS.Another book you should read:

The Disenchantment by Nina LaCour

Angela's Ashes

I have read hundreds of books in my short  lifetime and I there have been only a couple of books out of that large scale that I did not care for. I'm sad to say that Angela's Ashes was one of those books. Here is my review:

 

  

Angela's Ashes

Frank McCourt

363 pages

 Overview (Direct from Barnes & Noble website: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/angelas-ashes-frank-mccourt/1100608827#):

“When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to survive at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.”

So begins the luminous memoir of Frank McCourt, born in Depression-era Brooklyn to recent Irish immigrants and raised in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. Frank’s mother, Angela, has no money to feed the children since Frank’s father, Malachy, rarely works, and when he does he drinks his wages. Yet Malachy—exasperating, irresponsible, and beguiling—does nurture in Frank an appetite for the one thing he can provide: a story. Frank lives for his father’s tales of Cuchulain, who saved Ireland, and of the Angel on the Seventh Step, who brings his mother babies.

Perhaps it is story that accounts for Frank’s survival. Wearing rags for diapers, begging a pig’s head for Christmas dinner and gathering coal from the roadside to light a fire, Frank endures poverty, near-starvation and the casual cruelty of relatives and neighbors—yet lives to tell his tale with eloquence, exuberance, and remarkable forgiveness.

Angela’s Ashes, imbued on every page with Frank McCourt’s astounding humor and compassion, is a glorious book that bears all the marks of a classic.

"Angela's Ashes: A Memoir." Barnes & Noble. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/angelas-ashes-frank-mccourt/1100608827#>.

  My Opinion:

I did not like this book at all. It just infuriated me. I was required to read this book for school and once I had read my required chapters, I skimmed the rest of the book (I never like to leave a book unfinished even if I didn't like it). Well  Angela's Ashes started off slow, but eventually it picked up. The book was beautifully written and created this whole world of despair and determination in Limerick. This despair pulled you in and made you sorry for Frank and his family, but then something happens. By something I mean Frank. Frank's attitude and personality started getting on my nerves. He was a follower not a leader and seemed to not have a mind of his own. Certain parts of the book are nice and beautiful, but as an overall I did not like it. Frank McCourt might have had a miserable childhood at certain parts, but so did a lot of the people around him and they weren't acting and complaining like him. The book even has controversy surrounding it. Angela's Ashes is supposedly a memoir, though some sources from the town of Limerick, where the story take place, say that most of the things in the book were utterly fabricated and tall tales. I don't know who was technically right, but at certain parts in the book  it was a little sketchy in the detail department. I suggest you don't read this book, but surely as my heading says this is just my opinion. Some of my friends enjoyed reading this book, so don't let this review deter you from it. Just be careful and wary, it might not hold up to your expectations.

PS. On a happier note, read:
The Battle of the Ampere by Richard Paul Evans
Erebos: Its a game.It watches you by Ursula Poznanski

Grave Mercy

This Week's Book:


Grave Mercy
R. L. LaFevers
549 pages
His Fair Assassin

Overview (Direct from Goodreads.com (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9565548-grave-mercy) "Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1)." Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2013. <http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9565548-grave-mercy>.

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

My Opinion:

At first, I was hesitant to read the book (It's about an assassin that follows the patron saint of death, St. Mortain. Wouldn't you be a little hesitant?!), but once I started I was hooked. Some of the parts, particularly the romance, were a little predictable, but besides that you have to read the book. Ismae is a very interesting, multi-layered character like an onion. The convent is very interesting in their beliefs and the saint himself is just an enigma. I can't really describe how I feel about this book without giving much away, so just take my word on it and read it. I know you will enjoy the book.

P.S. If you read my blog, leave a comment so I can know how you feel about it. I would really appreciate it.  

P.P.S. Last week there really wasn't a good book for me to suggest.

I Hunt Killers

This week's book:

I HUNT KILLERS
Barry Lyga 
361 pages

Overview (Direct from Barty Lyga's website: http://barrylyga.com/novels/i-hunt-killers/)
 Lyga, Barry . "I Hunt Killers." Barry Lyga Dot Com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013. <http://barrylyga.com/novels/i-hunt-killers/>.

"Jazz is a likable teenager. A charmer, some might say.

But he’s also the son of the world’s most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, “Take Your Son to Work Day” was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal’s point of view.

And now, even though Dad has been in jail for years, bodies are piling up in the sleepy town of Lobo’s Nod. Again.
In an effort to prove murder doesn’t run in the family, Jazz joins the police in the hunt for this new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?"

My Opinion:

I loved this book. It is a really nice original book. I never would have thought about writing a book about the son of a serial killer, but Barry Lyga did and it came out AWESOME! It had a kinda of coming-of-age thing (making sense of yourself), a little romance, and a lot of whodunit?. You'll also learn some cool facts about serial killers. This book is in a series that I am definitely going to read. So read this book and get into the head of a son of a serial killer. Don't worry he doesn't bite, but he may kill.

P.S. Sorry that I haven't been posting every single week. A lot has been going on, but I'll try better.

P.P.S If you really liked this book, watch the ABC Family show "Twisted".

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

 This week's book:

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Rae Carson

440 pages

The Girl of Fire and Thorns Series

Overview (DIRECT FROM  Rae Carson's website :http://www.raecarson.com/books/the-girl-of-fire-and-thorns/ )

" Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa is the chosen one.
But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will.
Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.
And he’s not the only one who needs her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.
Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.
Most of the chosen do."

Carson, Rae . "The Girl of Fire and Thorns | Rae Carson | Author of Books for Teens." Rae Carson | Author of Books for Teens. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2013. <http://www.raecarson.com/books/the-girl-of-fire-and-thorns/>.

My Opinion:

I loved this book, once I first started reading I could not put it down. Elisa is a really beautiful character. She overcame all these obstacles and became this really important person to the people of Joya d'Arena (no spoilers I promise). Elisa is very smart even speaking and understanding the Lengua Classica, which I think is Latin. Cool right. The relationship between Elisa and Humberto was sooo sweet, but then it happened (see no spoilers, but its really hard). I really didn't like Alejandro, the king of Joya d'Arena and husband of Elisa. He wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer or bravest or truthful or even the best king. I also liked this book because of the nice relationship they include religion its a factor of some decisions and actions, but it displays really how people think about it. Some people take it word by word or others take it loosely.This book shows it, even if it really wasn't the author's intention. You should read this book. It is very good and heartfelt. I can't wait to read the others in the series.

Other books I read this week (read these too):

• Every Day by David Levithan
• Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes